The present invention pertains to a refining apparatus for fresh grinding of nut and grain kernels that is fully non-jamming or clogging, and that enables a non-interrupted, continuous, high-powered outflow of a fully uniformly textured butter or meal.
The apparatus represents an improved construction of a general type of machine such as disclosed in my earlier U.S. Pat. No. 4,201,349. Although such a machine has been successful in its operation, I have found that there has been a need for improving the efficiency of operation from the standpoint of enabling an increase in power drive, of positively preventing a tendency of nuts or kernels to build-up and jam at the bottom of the feed chute, and of enabling an un-interrupted continuity of delivery of the processed meal or butter with a complete and full uniformity of its as-ground texture. I have found that there has also been a need for improvement from the standpoint of facilitating assembly and disassembly of the operating elements for cleaning them.
Other constructions with which I am familiar are represented by the Fuller U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,824 and Boothe U.S. Pat. No. 4,085,899. The Fuller patent shows an early type of apparatus whose auger shaft has its lands extending along the full bottom opening of the feed chute and utilizes cooperating, relatively coarse, final grinding teeth on a pair of blades that outwardly converge and inwardly diverge with respect to each other. The product obtained may be termed "rough ground". The Boothe patent is impractical for food or nut grinding, in that it provides a large open space or chamber between the end of its delivery chute and its auger shaft, and utilizes a pair of grinding discs that are widely spaced-apart and have screen, mesh-like surfaces or cross-hatched channels that do not provide effective paths of movement of the material and pose a cleaning problem.
An object of the invention has been to meet adverse factors heretofore encountered in the grinding of food in the nature of nuts or grain kernels.
Another object has been to provide a machine that will be simple and efficient in its operation and that will assure a minimum of and ease of maintenance.
Another object has been to solve the problem heretofore presented from the standpoint of throw-back, backing-up or jamming of nuts or kernels at the point of delivery of the feed chute to an advancing auger shaft.
A further object has been to devise an apparatus that has a final grinding tooth arrangement devised to positively assure a full uniformity of texture of processed butter, meal or flour-like product.
A still further object has been to provide a machine that can be effectively operated at a relatively slow, high-powered drive speed, and that will assure a substantial, continuous feed of uniformly completely ground meal or butter.
These and other objects of the invention will appear to those skilled in the art from the embodiment herein set forth and described and from the claims.